Digital Warrior

By Joe Fitzgerald

Created 03/11/2014 - 7:32pm

Remembering an internet activist and innovator who fought to liberate knowledge in our annual Freedom of Information coverage

Illustrations by Sean Morgan

Few have shaped the Internet like Aaron Swartz. A programmer and Internet freedom advocate, Swartz’s activism challenged the notion that information should be owned. An open web, he argued, is key to the betterment of humanity.

His life ended abruptly, at the age of 26. Many hail him as a hero. Fighting through his demons, Swartz pioneered technology dedicated to free and open access to information. He helped inspire an ongoing national movement against online censorship.

This illustrated story also appeared in this week's Bay Guardian newspaper, which you can find in newsstands around the Bay Area, and digitally below.